Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the situation in Gaza of issues relating to the control of Gaza’s off-shore gas; and whether it is United Kingdom foreign policy to back Israeli control of that resource.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The exploitation of the Gaza gas fields would be hugely beneficial to Gazans. Gaza is currently suffering from acute shortages of energy; Gaza needs reliable sources of energy. More widely, exploiting the gas would also be hugely beneficial to the Palestinian economy, enabling the Occupied Palestinian Territories to meet their energy needs and generating revenues for the Palestinian Authority.The UK strongly supports the development of the Gazan gas fields. Over the past years, we have had extensive discussions with the Palestinian authorities on the development of the gas fields for the benefit of the Palestinian economy. The UK is not backing Israeli control of the gas fields. We have, however, been in discussions with the Israeli authorities to encourage them to enable the exploitation of these fields.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent the Israeli demolition of the Arab village of Hiran in the Negev in order to replace it with an Israeli settler village.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to follow the cases of Um Il Hiran and Ateer closely. They have been in contact with the Adalah Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (who wrote the report ‘Nomads Against their Will’, issued in 2011) and they have briefed us on the legal updates since then. We understand the hardships facing the Bedouins of Um il Hiran and Ateer and continue to study the situation in order to inform any future lobbying.Officials have also been in contact with several other organisations that work within the Bedouin community, such as Itach-Maaki and the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation – Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (AJEEC-NISPED), to evaluate the best sort of support we can offer the Bedouin community in the Naqab/Negev.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the destruction by Israeli forces of a pipeline in the northern Jordan valley built to provide water to Palestinian communities.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not made representations on this particular case. However, the UK regularly raises issues of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current unacceptable situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza. We also regularly make clear, publicly and privately, to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns about the actual or threatened demolition of Palestinian infrastructure. Demolitions are harmful to the peace process; and are contrary to international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention is clear that the destruction of any real or personal property in Occupied Territory is not justified unless it is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they and other European Union governments plan to discuss Mr Blair’s call for a "radical change of approach" from Israel in respect of Gaza; and whether there are plans for a joint European Union visit to Gaza at ministerial level.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK and EU are clear that there is an urgent need to address the situation in Gaza and for an agreement to address the underlying causes of the conflict. This should ensure that Hamas and other militant groups permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel; the Palestinian Authority resumes control of Gaza and restores effective and accountable governance; and that Israel lifts its restrictions in order to ease the suffering of ordinary Palestinians and allow the Gazan economy to grow. There are currently no plans for a joint EU visit to Gaza at ministerial level, although ministers from several EU Member States have visited Gaza recently.

War Memorials

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 23 February (HL4962), what maintenance has been done on the Royal Naval Division memorial; and how many water leaks there are in the monument.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 23 February (HL4962), what is the procedure if the Committee for the Royal Naval Division memorial has no funds to refurbish the memorial.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Memorial Committee has recently commissioned a condition survey and a Report of its findings, together with estimates of costs for any suggested remedial works. Once the Report is available, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Memorial Committee will jointly discuss appropriate funding and timelines for the essential maintenance of the monument.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the listing by the government of Israel of Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem for demolition.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem closely monitor demolitions in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, working with the EU and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We regularly make clear, publicly and privately, to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns about the actual or threatened demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and are contrary to international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention is clear that the destruction of any real or personal property in Occupied Territory is not justified unless it is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.In addition we continue to support Palestinians facing demolition or eviction through support to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme which helps individuals to challenge these decisions in the Israeli legal system. We are also funding the International Peace and Cooperation Centre (IPCC), an independent Palestinian non-profit organisation, to support long-term planning for Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the disqualification of Hanin Zoabi as a candidate in the forthcoming elections in Israel.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: On 18 February the Israeli High Court of Justice overturned the decision to disqualify lawmakers Haneen Zoabi and Baruch Marzel from running in the elections. They will now be running on the Joint Arab List.

Middle East

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported wounding of Palestinian photo-journalists by the Israeli Defence Force.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials in our Embassy in Tel Aviv have registered our concerns with the Israel Defence Forces about the reported wounding of Palestinian photo-journalists. Protection of the freedom of the media is an important attribute of human rights. We will continue to raise individual cases in which Palestinian journalists have been shot with the Israeli authorities.

Egypt

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt about breaches of civil and human rights in Egypt.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government is committed to supporting the Egyptian people’s aspiration for a full and functioning democracy. We continue to believe that stability and prosperity in Egypt is dependent on open and inclusive politics and on full respect for the rights contained in the Egyptian constitution. That is why in recent months Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have asked the Egyptian authorities to take action to release journalists and political detainees who remain imprisoned, to review mass judicial decisions, and to remove restrictions on civil society.I personally raised human rights concerns with Egyptian Deputy Assistant Minister for Human Rights, Dr Mahy Abdel Latif on 14 January. We discussed the importance of women’s rights and the case of the imprisoned international journalists, who have since been deported or released pending a retrial. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised the need for political reform during his visit to Egypt on 13-15 January. He stressed the importance of upholding the fundamental human rights guaranteed in the Egyptian constitution. Along with discussing human rights in our conversations with the Egyptian government, at the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of Egypt’s human rights situation on 5 November 2014, the UK made recommendations focussing on the ability of civil society to operate freely and the protection of women’s rights.

Israel

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel and what response they have received concerning the second update by UNICEF issued in February 2015 on its report of March 2013 entitled "Children in Military Detention", with reference to the alleged ill-treatment of children during arrest, transfer, interrogation and detention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. We have welcomed the steps taken to date, but we have called for further measures, including the mandatory use of audio-visual recording of interrogations, investigation into continued reports of single hand ties being used, and an end to solitary confinement for children. We continue to have concerns about mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, including during arrest, transfer, interrogation and detention and about Israel’s respect of its obligations in this regard as an Occupying Power under applicable international law. We have raised concerns over treatment of Palestinian detainees with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser levels. We have not made representations to the Government of Israel specifically concerning the second update by the UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on its report, “Children in Military Detention”.

Israel

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported use in Israel of solitary confinement for children held in military detention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Both the UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have told us that there has been a drastic decrease in the use of solitary confinement of children over the past year. Israeli officials tell us that solitary confinement does not take place, but that children are held in isolation during the time of their interrogation to avoid them from collaborating their stories. We are following up on this point and have asked for statistics on the use of isolation. We have raised concerns over solitary confinement with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including with the Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser, and most recently with the Director of Human Rights.

Israel

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported methods of transportation used in Israel for children held in military detention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. We have welcomed the steps taken to date, but we have called for further measures, including the mandatory use of audio-visual recording of interrogations, investigation into continued reports of single hand ties being used, and an end to solitary confinement for children. We continue to have concerns about mistreatment of Palestinian detainees on various issues but have not yet addressed methods of transportation. We continue to raise concerns over treatment of Palestinian detainees with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser levels.

Israel

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports by UNICEF that children in military detention in Israel have been made to sign untranslated written confessions in Hebrew.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. We have welcomed the steps taken to date, but we have called for further measures, including the mandatory use of audio-visual recording of interrogations, investigation into continued reports of single hand ties being used, and an end to solitary confinement for children. We continue to have concerns about mistreatment of Palestinian detainees including that children in military detention in Israel have been made to sign un-translated written confessions in Hebrew, and about Israel’s respect of its obligations in this regard as an Occupying Power under applicable international law. Israeli interlocutors at the Ministry of Justice have told us that the security orders mandate that all documents must be written in both Hebrew and Arabic – including any information added by hand. We have raised concerns over treatment of Palestinian detainees with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser levels. We will continue to follow up on these allegations and raise this issue as a serious concern.

Palestinians

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the closure of the Rafah crossing by the government of Egypt on the reconstruction programme in Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism is now working. Over 52,000 people have been able to buy materials to repair their homes. Part of the UK pledge at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in October 2014 is support for the Mechanism and materials entering through Gaza/Israel crossings. We are, however, concerned about the closure of the Rafah Crossing and the impact that this has on urgent medical and other priority cases in Gaza. We have raised this with our contacts with the Egyptian government and asked the Egyptian authorities to show flexibility in opening the crossing.

Iran

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the P5+1 nuclear talks on Iran.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have made some progress in recent weeks in negotiations but we are still a long way off an agreement: a lot of complex and difficult issues remain to be resolved before we can reach a comprehensive deal which addresses our proliferation concerns. Nevertheless, we are working hard to achieve this.

Iran

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of reports about the Supreme Leader of Iran's nine-point plan for the destruction of Israel.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We strongly condemn any suggestions from Iran’s leaders that Israel should be eliminated. We similarly strongly condemn any politically or racially motivated attempts to deny or question the Holocaust, and all anti-Semitic language.

Bahrain

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about Dr Masaud Jahromi.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government has not specifically raised Dr Masaud Jahromi’s case but we are aware that he was arrested in 2011 and charged with illegal gathering. An official from our Embassy in Bahrain attended his court hearing in January 2012. In January 2015, Masaud was one of 72 individuals who had their nationalities revoked. Our Ambassador to Bahrain has raised these revocations at Ministerial level with the Government of Bahrain. All of the individuals affected have the right to appeal. Our Embassy in Bahrain will continue to follow these cases closely.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 24 February (HL4954) concerning the Northern Ireland Office, what are the responsibilities of each of the Northern Ireland Office business groups.

Baroness Randerson: The structure and functions of the Northern Ireland Office, including the responsibilities of its individual business groups are published annually in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.A copy of the latest annual report is available in the Library of the House.

Wales Office

European Union

Lord Tugendhat: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 23 February (HL4848), what they estimate to have been the total cost to the Wales Office and its associated agencies of the Balance of Competences Review.

Baroness Randerson: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave on 12 February (HL4848).

Ministry of Justice

Secure Colleges

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates the bidding process for the contract to manage the proposed Secure College will be launched; and by which dates bids must be received.

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates the bidding process for the contract to provide education at the proposed Secure College will be launched; and by which dates bids must be received.

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which date the winning bids from the contracts to manage and provide education at the proposed Secure College will be decided.

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which date the names of the winning bidders for the contracts to manage and provide education at the proposed Secure College will be published.

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which date the criteria will be published by which the winning bids for the contracts to manage and provide education at the proposed Secure College will be evaluated.

Lord Faulks: The Ministry of Justice intends to launch the competition for the operational contract for the Secure College Pathfinder this year and education provision will form part of this overall contract. The Ministry of Justice expects potential providers to put forward innovative solutions that address the individual needs of the young people in the Secure College. The timetable for the competition, which will determine dates for the tender period and contract award, is under consideration. The competition will ensure that sufficient time is allowed to enable potential providers to fully understand a new specification, the needs and complexities of these young people and the challenging environment in which they will be required to work. The timetable will be made available on the launch of competition. Evaluation criteria against which bids will be assessed will be shared with bidders at the tender stage.

Department for Work and Pensions

European Union

Baroness Prashar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 23 February (HL4837), what they estimate to have been the total cost to the Department for Work and Pensions and its associated agencies of the Balance of Competences Review.

Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions contributed to two Balance of Competences Review reports, the Social and Employment Report, led by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Single Market: Free Movement of Persons Report, led by the Home Office. As such, the Department for Work and Pensions did not directly incur any costs. The Department did make a financial contribution to the Home Office in respect of their printing costs.

Home Office

Terrorism

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the agreement between the Metropolitan Police Service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission and others regarding the investigation of public complaints relating to Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000, when they expect that complainants will receive an answer to their complaints.

Lord Bates: The Independent Police Complaints Commission is awaiting receipt of the draft investigation reports from the Metropolitan Police Service and will write to the Noble Lord shortly.

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with police forces in England about the priority given to the enforcement of traffic speed in 30 mph and 20 mph areas.

Lord Bates: The Home Office has not had any such discussions. Enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for the police.

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many fixed penalty fines have been issued, and how many prosecutions have been initiated, for exceeding 30 mph or 20 mph speed limits in each of the police forces areas in England; and how that compares with estimates of the actual number of times speed limits are exceeded in 30 mph and 20 mph areas.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not hold the data requested. The Home Office collects data on the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued to motorists for all speeding offences, but cannot separately identify whether an individual was caught exceeding the speed limit in a 20mph zone or a 30mph zone.The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, unless stipulated in statute, the location of an offence cannot be separately analysed. Hence it is not possible to identify whether a defendant proceeded against for a speeding offence has been caught exceeding the speed limit in a 20mph zone, or a 30mph zone. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and as such it can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint disclosed an interest in, and knowledge about, HSBC before he was appointed as a member of HM Treasury’s Banking Reform Committee; and when he joined and left that Committee.

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint was appointed as an adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on banking issues; when he was appointed to the Cabinet Committee on banking reform; how many meetings of that committee he attended; and when he ceased to be a member of that committee.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Lord Green was a member of the Banking Reform Committee for the period 11 January 2011 to 11 December 2013. His interest in HSBC is a matter of public record. As was the case under previous administrations, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet and which Ministers have attended, is generally not disclosed.

Department of Health

Genetics: Screening

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures NHS England is putting in place to ensure the development of a national policy for molecular diagnostic testing before existing legacy arrangements expire in 2016; who will lead those plans; when they will begin; and when progress will be reported.

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what commissioning policies and interventions are in place to ensure uninterrupted access to molecular diagnostics from 1 April 2015 whilst a more robust system is being developed.

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which pharmaceutical companies have informed NHS England about the withdrawal of their funding for molecular testing; and what plans NHS England has in place to ensure continuity of funding and access for affected patients.

Earl Howe: NHS England is leading a range of activities relating to the future of molecular diagnostics which over time will begin to inform new approaches to the prediction and prevention of disease as well as the application of new targeted therapies, in support of delivering the ambitions set out in the 5 Year Forward View. These include: the re-procurement of Genomics Local Laboratory Hubs; the establishment of a Task Force to oversee development of a new national strategy for cancer; and the coordination of the NHS contribution to the 100,000 Genomes Project which includes the building of a new molecular pathology network. In addition to this, NHS England is conducting analysis to clarify legacy arrangements for commissioning molecular diagnostics and identify future commissioning mechanisms.

Chemicals

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr George Freeman, on 14 January (HC220047), what are the necessary steps that would be required for laboratory reagents to be licensed for use as medicinal products.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr George Freeman, on 14 January (HC220047), what are the necessary steps that would be required for medicinal products to be licensed for use in clinical practice when the products concerned do not yet have CE marking; and how the prior use of such materials in clinical practice within other European Union Member States would affect regulation of their potential use in the United Kingdom.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr George Freeman, on 14 January (HC220047), to what extent toxic materials that are not licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency could be authorised for use in patient treatments in the absence of safety data from phase 1 clinical trials.

Earl Howe: A laboratory reagent that does not make medicinal claims is not a medicinal product per se ; however, if a company wishes to apply for a licence to use a laboratory reagent - as a medicinal product as defined in Directive 2001/83 EC they would need to submit an application for a marketing authorisation to the Licensing Authority, supported by the appropriate safety, efficacy and quality data set out in that Directive.   CE marking applies to medical devices. Products meeting the definition of a medicinal product are required to obtain a marketing authorisation before they can be placed on the market. In order to obtain a marketing authorisation, all data related to quality, safety and efficacy of the product, including prior use in the relevant population should be submitted and will be evaluated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on behalf of the Licensing Authority. If a product already has a marketing authorisation and is in clinical use in another EU member state, the licence holder is eligible to apply for an authorisation in the United Kingdom through a Mutual Recognition procedure where the data supporting the product’s use and the evaluation report of the Member State that has approved the product will be submitted to the MHRA for a decision on approval of a UK marketing authorisation to be reached within the defined timelines of the procedure.   Medicines legislation contains a provision for the use of an unlicensed medicinal product which is provided for by way of an exemption from the requirement for a marketing authorisation. In the interests of public health this exemption is narrowly drawn because these products, unlike products holding a marketing authorisation, will not have been assessed and approved against the criteria of safety, quality and efficacy. Under their terms of service, general practitioners and hospital doctors are allowed to prescribe any medicinal product, including any unlicensed medicinal product which they consider necessary to meet the clinical needs of their patients and under their clinical responsibility. They should always satisfy themselves that the medicinal products or other substances they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed, that patients are adequately monitored and that, where necessary, expert hospital supervision is available.

Care Homes

Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the application of the "triple lock" policy used in regard to state retirement pensions to the Personal Allowance element from local authorities for retired people living in residential homes; and whether it is their intention to apply it.

Earl Howe: All local authority supported care home residents retain an amount of their own income, the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA), for personal expenses. A significant number of these are below pension credit qualifying age. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to apply the triple lock to the PEA and it would be inequitable to only apply it to the PEA retained by people above pension credit qualifying age.   Local authorities have discretion to allow people to keep a larger PEA where they have a family member to support or a property to maintain.   We are committed to uprating the PEA regularly to ensure that it maintains its value.

Care Homes

Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish figures as to how many local authorities have used their discretion in permitting a higher level of Personal Allowance than that published by the Department of Health.

Earl Howe: Local authorities have discretion to allow a higher level of Personal Expenses Allowance. It is for each local authority to consider all the evidence presented and to make the appropriate decision. Information about how often local authorities exercise this discretion is not collected centrally.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 13 February (HL4626), which patient organisations were consulted in October 2014 on proposed changes to the Cancer Drugs fund re-evaluation process.

Earl Howe: NHS England has advised that its proposals for changes to the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2014-15 and 2015-16 went out to public consultation for a four week period from 3 October 2014.   A direct mail regarding the consultation was sent for onward cascading to the following charities and patient organisations:   Healthwatch England National Voices Help and Care National Association for Patient Participation National Association for Voluntary & Community Action National Care Forum Patient Concern Patients Association Patient Opinion Patient Information Forum Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations Action on Smoking & Health Age UK Alzheimer’s Society Anthony Nolan Trust Association of Medical Research Charities Breakthrough Breast Cancer British Heart Foundation British Kidney Patient Association British Red Cross Cancer Research UK Carers Trust Carers UK Citizens Advice Bureau Kidney Cancer Support Network Kidney Research UK Macmillan Cancer Support Marie Curie Cancer Care Men's Health Forum National Council for Palliative Care National Council for Voluntary Organisations Cancer 52 Prostate Cancer UK Myeloma UK Rarer Cancers Foundation Roy Castle Lung Foundation Beating Bowel Cancer Clicsargent UK Health Forum Leukaemia Care Brain Tumour UK Breast Cancer Care Children with Cancer UK Bowel Cancer UK   The information was also sent directly to over 300 registered stakeholders of the NHS England Chemotherapy Clinical Reference Group (CRG) which includes many patient organisations.   In addition, the following organisations attended a patient organisations and charities consultation event:   Beating Bowel Cancer Breast Cancer Campaign Breakthrough Breast Cancer GIST Support UK Transforming Cancer Services for London Team MHP Health Target Ovarian Cancer Cancer 52 Pancreatic Cancer UK James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer Cancer Research UK Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust Lymphoma Association Macmillan Cancer Support The Brain Tumour Charity Prostate Cancer UK Rarer Cancers Foundation MDS UK Patient Support Group

Health Services and Public Health Act 1968

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisations, in each of the last five years, have received funding under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968; and whether they will set out the name and amount of funding given to each organisation and any attached conditions or restrictions on its use.

Earl Howe: Tables have been attached which provide information on awards made under Section 64 of the Health and Public Health Act 1968 for the financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 in relation to the following;   - Innovation, Excellence and Service Development Fund; - Strategic Partner Programme; - Financial Assistance Fund; - Children’s Hospice and Hospice at Home Grants; - Homeless Hospital Discharge Fund (HHDF); and - Other grants awarded under Section 64 outside the main schemes (for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15 only).   Information on Section 64 grants made outside the main schemes for the years 2010-11 to 2012-13 is not available in the format requested from central records and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   Standard conditions are included in the award letters for all Section 64 grants. These are reviewed on a regular basis. The current standard template used for grant awards made under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 has also been attached.   In addition to the standard terms and conditions of award, individual grant awards may include additional conditions. These are not collated centrally and would require examination of every grant awarded during the last five years. Therefore this could only be provided at disproportionate cost. 



Section 64 Awards
(Excel SpreadSheet, 688.74 KB)




Section 64 Award Letter
(Word Document, 147.5 KB)